Laser projectors are frequently used in manufacturing operations. In a typical operation, a laser projector generates a laser beam that is steered by galvanometers to trace a pattern onto a surface. The pattern may project an outline of a part or other features as desired.
The pattern may be used to locate a part or assembly for placement or to locate features where an operation is to be performed. For example, a laser projector may be used to identify a location for drilling a hole or for determining whether a hole or some other feature is present.
Such manufacturing operations typically entail close tolerances and high levels of precision and accuracy. However, precision and accuracy of laser projectors may be affected by environmental conditions or problems within the laser projector itself. For example, the laser beam projected from a laser projector may drift due to changes in the thermal environment, such as ambient air temperature, in which the laser projector is being used. Further, galvanometers within the laser projector that steer the laser beam may occasionally need tuning. Also, it would be desirable to determine accuracy of the laser projector.
However, there is an unmet need in the art for a system and method for evaluating performance of a laser projector.